Therum: Rescuing the Doctor
by ParagadeOmega
Summary: Shepard struggles with nightmares from her failings on Eden Prime. Hoping for a chance at stopping Saren and earning redemption, she decides to capture Dr. T'Soni, the Prothean expert he is trying to recruit. But T'Soni is the daughter of Matriarch Benezia, Saren's second in command. The Commander doesn't know what she'll face, but she has to find T'Soni before Saren.


_"Shepard! Why!?" The young eyes of Corporal Richard L. Jenkins stabbed into Shepard's own set of icy blue orbs as the soldier grabbed her left arm. His armor was riddled with bullet holes and blood oozed from his mouth._

 _"We trusted you!" An avian voice shot from Shepard's right. "You were supposed to have my back!" Nihlus spat out from his mangled mandibles that were damaged from the bullet wound to his head._

 _"Jenkins, I didn't know! Nihlus, you were so far ahead, and-"_

 _"You let us die!" "You weren't fast enough!" "We needed you!" Several voices rang out from the shadows. Ghastly, ethereal figures of marines with charred armor, missing limbs, and covered in various wounds and cuts emerged from the darkness to grasp onto Shepard. Their armors carried the mark of the 212: Ashley's unit._

 _"I tried! I know it wasn't enough, but I tried! Please, you have to believe me!" The infiltrator struggled against the horde of her fallen comrades, each trying to hold her still._

 _"Oh they believed you Shepard. They believed in you. Not that it matters now." A cold voice chilled the air. Shepard stopped struggling and the fallen stilled, making way for the massive figure approaching. Small blue beady eyes stared out behind long sharp talons. Shepard held her breath as Saren stopped only inches from her face, his mandibles slightly twitching. He began to whisper. "Now, Shepard, they are mine."_

 _The infiltrator struggled. A blue light engulfed the faces of the fallen, dimming to reveal an occult, mechanical glow over skeletal features. Husks._

 _"NO! Bastard! Change them back! Let go!" Shepard screamed at Saren. The turian cocked his head as he pulled his pistol._

 _"Don't worry. You'll be joining them soon." Saren took his aim. A red and black profile of the turian's massive ship appeared above his head. Shepard heard the scream of the ship's signal. She screamed in response, but heard nothing. Saren pulled the trigger._

"NO!" Shepard flew off of her bed, pistol in hand and ready to fire. The blue beady eyes were gone, replaced by the soft glow of the captain's cabin's lighting. Her breath came in ragged heaves. Cold sweat still dripped down her brow and the back of her tank top. It took several seconds for the Commander to realize that she was in her quarters on the Normandy. Even so, she let her outstretched hands aim the pistol where the rogue Spectre had been in her mind's eye just moments before. Her finger twitched against the trigger, eager to permanently stop the twisted turian.

"Dammit." Shepard fell back on her bed, deciding her terminal wasn't a threat and taking her finger off of the pistol's trigger. For several minutes, the Commander lay there, desperately trying to blink away the faces of the dead. Despite her best efforts, their features remained clear behind her eyelids.

Shepard looked to her terminal. 2:00am standard time. She swore again. These nightmares were getting more and more frequent. Shepard had experienced them ever since seeing so much death on Mindoir. With each new harrowing battle, new faces were added to the nightmares. Tonight it was the dead of Eden Prime, a fresh favorite torment of her subconscious mind.

The Commander managed to calm her breathing, but she was all too familiar with this routine to have any delusion that she would get any more sleep for the night. Resigning herself to her fate of restlessness, Shepard pulled her relaxed-wear standard issue pants over her boxer shorts and ran a hand through her messed short hair. She pushed herself off of her bed and logged onto the terminal at the desk on the far side of the room.

Once again, she stared at the intel forwarded to her from the Council on Doctor Liara T'Soni. Shepard had memorized all the important details, but there was no harm in reviewing:

T'Soni. Asari. Doctor. Born on Thessia. 2077. Archaeologist. Prothean expert. Daughter of Matriarch Benezia. Last seen on Therum in the Knossos System of the Artemis Tau Cluster.

The fact that T'Soni was an Asari, and the daughter of a powerful, renowned matriarch meant that she undoubtedly had a strong proficiency in biotics. And biotic-users were always a variable in combat. Although recent intelligence didn't suggest that T'Soni had allied herself with Benezia, and by extension, Saren, it was a strong possibility considering the blood connection. The fact that Saren had been so interested in Prothean technology, and the asari's expertise on the Protheans also meant that it was probable the archaeologist had been approached by the rogue Spectre.

Shepard rubbed her temples. Going after an enemy's family was a dirty tactic, but if T'Soni knew anything, what choice did the Commander have? And if T'Soni were actually working for Saren, her capture would at least be a blow to Benezia's morale, perhaps stability. It was possible that by capturing T'Soni, Shepard could directly cripple Saren's incoming knowledge about the Protheans. The asari didn't have any military or paramilitary training according to Councilor Tevos's information. Perhaps with careful interrogation tactics, T'Soni would give away valuable information on the major players working for Saren. Yes, there were many reasons to take Liara T'Soni in.

Shepard had already decided who would be on her squad. N7 training had taught the Commander long ago that hitting hard, hitting fast, and hitting quietly achieved the best results. The infiltrator would only take two members with her: Garrus and Wrex.

Garrus had plently of experience dealing with asari when he was a C-Sec officer. Perhaps the turian could offer strategic advantages when dealing with T'Soni. He was also a brilliant sniper, a veteran of combat, and due to his determination, someone Shepard was definitely growing to admire. Garrus was one of the first people, and the first alien, to believe Shepard's accusations of treason against Saren. He was loyal, and he had a good sense of intuition; the Commander wanted the turian on this mission.

Shepard didn't know what to expect on Therum, but whatever she would find on Therum wouldn't expect Wrex. The krogan was a fantastic addition to the team. He was brutal. He was efficient. He had all the fury and power of a krogan but with the restraint of a veteran. And to top it all, the krogan had biotics. He was also smart. Very smart. The Commander honestly felt pity for whatever enemy pitted themselves against the battlemaster. Looking for something more meaningful than credits, the mercenary had joined up with Shepard, and Shepard was glad to have him along. Whatever surprises Therum had to offer, the infiltrator was confident that the three of them could handle it.

Assuming that everything went smoothly, and T'Soni would be captured, Shepard had made arrangements with Engineer Adams for the detainment of the asari. The engineer had altered the settings on one of the sleeper pods for deep space travel, enabling it to effectively anesthetize T'Soni in cryo sleep between periods of interrogation and transporting her back to the Citadel. It was crude, but Adams had assured Shepard it would work. It would also spare the Commander the hassle of having to install some sort of cell. Her crew members could focus on their duties instead of worrying about watching a prisoner, and it would prevent breakout attempts or violence.

"E.T.A to Therum: 4 hours." Shepard mumbled out to her cabin. "I guess I'll go check my armor and the Mako…"

….

Shepard, Garrus, and Wrex were approaching a large compound surrounded by crates with a mining tunnel extending into the ground. This is where the strange readings were coming from. Considering it looked to be a dig site, it was also probable that this is where T'Soni was holed up.

It had been a rough fight and a rocky ride to make it this far; Therum was scorching hot, and the influx of geth that seemingly came out of nowhere had turned the paths to the compound into a warzone. Armatures. Juggernauts. Colossuses. The tank-like AIs were everywhere. Once the terrain made it impossible for the Mako to advance, Shepard had waged a three-man assault in a canyon infested with snipers and rocket troopers. Were it not for her and Garrus's sniping skills, and Wrex's cleanup of the stragglers, the Commander knew she could have been caught in a precarious situation.

"Garrus, scopes out. Let's take a look." Shepard put her eye to her own scope as she tried to get a vantage point on what the geth were doing.

"It's not easy to get an angle from downhill, Commander. But things look relatively quiet up ahead… Wait! I see something. On the side entrances. It looks like… Like the geth are trying to… blow them open?" The turian's mandibles twitched as his jaw popped open in surprise. Shepard adjusted her scope and saw geth sticking grenades to one of the side entrances into the dig site. The grenade detonated, but the hatch remained intact.

"What the hell is T'Soni up to?" Wrex growled. As the krogan shifted his armor around, Shepard switched her sight back to the main entrance to the mine. A small group of geth ran in, weapons drawn and in standard attack formation.

"I'm not entirely convinced T'Soni is behind all these geth…" Shepard mumbled.

"What? Did you get hit in the head, Shepard? This place is swarming with geth, and they're all focused on this spot." Wrex sniffed Shepard, eyeing her suit for cracks and blood.

"I hear you, Wrex, but these geth… Their attention seems divided between us and this dig site. They're in attack formation entering the mining tunnels. I know that they had a strong defensive position at the captured colonist encampment, and again in the canyon, but something seems… off. If T'Soni is running the show, we should have run into more turrets and the geth should have put more effort in defending this area. It's still possible that T'Soni is in command of these geth, but I want to exhaust all options before we have to take her in violently." The infiltrator reasoned as she watched the entrance once again become abandoned.

"You don't bring a krogan if you want violence as a last resort, Shepard." The battlemaster grunted as he kicked some rocks on the ground.

"We could always be walking into a trap." Garrus perked up from his own rifle to interject.

"Agreed. We advance slowly. Be prepared." Shepard nodded and pointed forward, drawing her assault rifle. Her squad followed as she began to creep up the hill.

To Shepard's surprise and relief, the squad made it up the hill without any gunfire flying at them. Unwilling to lose the momentum of her luck, the Commander and her squad stealthily made their way into the encampment, carefully inching ever forward to the entrance of the dig site. Just as they were nearing the ramp into the ruins, the infiltrator's eye caught movement. A crawler jumped from a high beam, screeching out a wretched signal.

Within seconds, a dropship appeared from nowhere. Geth rained down into the camp, forcing the small Normandy squad to dive for cover.

"That's more like it!" Wrex laughed as he emptied two shotgun slugs into the nearest geth.

"Glad he's enjoying himself!" Garrus quipped as a bullet flew past his head. A geth stalker landed between the turian and human. Shepard outstretched her omni-tool to sabotage the crawling machine, but the geth fired a laser into Shepard's armor. The Commander's omni-tool spit sparks. Her gun fumed in her hand, and her biotic amplifier blinked out. Just as the stalker was about to jump, its head exploded as a shot from Garrus's sniper collided with its flashing head. The body fell harmless to the ground. "Got your six, Commander."

Two troopers popped out from behind the turian's side. Shepard whipped out her pistol and dropped them both before Garrus had a chance to turn.

"Likewise, Garrus!" Shepard gave a grin to her squadmate.

"Are you pyjacks done yapping, or are you going to help me with this Armature?" Wrex grabbed another geth stalker, using it as a shield as he ran from cover to cover, dodging the emp rockets the armature fired.

"Take out the crawlers first! Their damping skills are a nuisance and can keep us from doing real damage." Shepard ordered, firing her pistol at one of the geth as she waited for the VI in her omni-tool and biotic amp to reset.

"I've noticed. Little bastards have already nipped me twice." The krogan growled as his biotic barrier fizzled out.

It didn't take long for Shepard's team to make short work of the other geth on the field, but without the Mako, the armature was proving difficult to dispatch. Garrus had been grazed, knocking out his shields and providing a burn to his leg. Wrex had to draw the armature's fire while Shepard applied medi-gel. The geth that had ventured underground still hadn't returned to join the fight, but the infiltrator wasn't willing to wait any longer. It was time for this geth to go down.

"Okay, new tactic. Garrus, you and I will draw its fire, pumping it full of sniper rounds. Wrex, sneak around to the far side of the area's steel grating. When you get into position, radio me. Wait until the armature's shields are down, then hit it with everything you have." Shepard peaked around the corner, holding her hand up. "GO!" Shepard and Garrus frantically fired into the behemoth as the krogan made a break for the grating. The infiltrator let the turian have the most stable of covers, but it came at a cost to Shepard. The crates would only hold for so long against the emp rockets before breaking. The Commander was having to roll quite a bit just to dodge the incoming fire.

"Shepard, I'm in position!" The battlemaster roared over the radio.

"Garrus, overload it!" The infiltrator screamed as she unleashed a sabotage program against the armature's weaponry. With the turian's and human's combined technological attacks, the geth's shields flickered and faded. "Wrex, now!"

"Krogan ambush!" The battlemaster leapt out of cover, throwing a biotic wave into the armature and causing it to stumble. Wrex followed up with slamming his shotgun into its flashlight head and firing until the gun overheated. Shepard and Garrus continued to unleash sniper rounds into the machine until the squad's teamwork brought it crashing down.

"Nice work. Garrus, you good to go?" The infiltrator motioned to the turian's leg.

"Just a scratch, Commander; I'm fine. Let's go see what the Doctor is up to…"

"Commander, I think you're right. These geth seem to be… advancing." Garrus mumbled. The three of them had entered the compound undetected. The geth were trying to summon an elevator, weapons drawn and drones hovering above them as they faced away from Shepard's squad and down where Doctor T'Soni would undoubtedly be.

"I don't know what the dynamic is between T'Soni and the geth, but we need her alive and no tin can with a flashlight head is going to stop us. Take them down before they get on the elevator." On Shepard's word, Garrus and Wrex opened fire. The geth had rockets and drones, but the three made use of the high ground advantage. Within minutes the small squad of geth was down just as the elevator arrived. The three looked at the elevator.

"Hmph. No sense standing around." Wrex walked into the elevator. The metal let out a low screech.

"If the plan was to leave this place in a mess, looks like the geth have beaten us to it." Garrus grumbled.

"I'm not convinced this structure is stable." Shepard leaned up against a metal beam of the elevator, scowling as it gave another low screech.

"You aliens cry too much. It's either the elevator or a long drop. I'd probably be fine with a long drop. Just land on my hump, no damage done." Wrex chuckled as he patted the hump above his head.

"If your massive weight causes this elevator to drop, I'm using your hump as a cushion to the fall." Garrus used a talon to motion to Wrex.

"Wrex is right. There's no choice; we want T'Soni, the elevator it is." Shepard marched into the metal cage and punched the button. The elevator lurched and began to descend. "And we all agree: if this thing malfunctions, we all jump on Wrex's hump."

"It always falls on us Krogan to save the day." The large alien shifted his plates around as the elevator continued its descent.

Everything went well until the elevator encountered rubble and metal in its path about halfway through the ride down. The metal cage sparked and rumbled. The protective door flew open and the squad was thrown out, landing on broken grating. Shepard checked on her squad once she regained her balance, ensuring no one was injured.

"Good news, Wrex, it looks like you'll continue to serve as the team's Krogan tank rather than the team's krogan cushion." Garrus quipped.

"Good thing for you too, Turian. You'd be riddled with bullets and on a geth spike if I ever stopped being the tank." Wrex let out another chuckle as he primed his shotgun.

"Eyes up. We still don't know what we'll find." Shepard took the opportunity to pull out her own shotgun and the small squad continued their journey downward.

"Hello?" A high feminine voice rang out. Shepard held up her hand. Garrus and Wrex stopped. "Is anyone out there?" The voice called out again. The Commander motioned her squad to advance. Whoever was calling out seemed to be in distress based on the tone of voice, but that still didn't mean it wasn't a trap.

The three continued to climb down broken metal grating until a large blue barrier came into sight… along with someone in it.

"Uh, Hello?! Could somebody help me?! Please?!" The person behind the barrier called out. Obviously she had seen or heard Shepard's squad. The Commander took a closer look. An asari in green and white scientist clothes was floating behind the barrier in some sort of stasis bubble. After lifting an eyebrow and taking a minute to think, Shepard put her gun back in her holster, motioning to Wrex and Garrus to stand guard as she approached the blue wall. The asari's and human's eyes met. "Can you hear me out there? I am trapped. I need help!" The alien's voice high, feminine voice was laced with panic, and her deep blue eyes desperately stared into the human's icy blue ones, begging for help.

"Are you okay? What happened to you?" The Commander kept her voice gentle and smooth but laced with authority. The asari took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves.

"Listen. This thing I am in is a Prothean security device. I cannot move, so I need you to get me out of it. All right?" Liara's voice was still shaky, but the human's tone had calmed her enough to lower her voice and give a cursory explanation.

"How did you end up in there?" Shepard inquired, figuring the best way to get the asari out was to reverse how she got in.

"I was exploring the ruins when the geth showed up, so I hid in here. Can you believe that? Geth! Beyond the veil!" The asari went off on a small tangent. Her eyes widened as she spoke and her emotive voice jumped in Shepard's translator. Her surprise seemed genuine, but the Commander gave no reaction. "I activated the tower's defenses. I knew the barrier curtains would keep them out. When I turned it on, I must have hit something I wasn't supposed to." T'Soni continued, explaining her situation. "I was trapped in here. You must get me out. Please." Soft blue eyes plead with the Commander's. The asari's voice was laced with desperation. Still, Shepard wanted to be certain this wasn't a trap.

"Your mother is working with Saren. Who's side are you on?" Shepard's voice held traces of skepticism. She tried to keep the anger out of her voice when mentioning the turian's name, but the question came out harsher than she meant.

"What? I am not on anybody's side!" The trapped asari seemed genuinely surprised. Her voice spiked and her brows lifted. "I may be Benezia's daughter, but I'm nothing like her! I have not spoken to her in years." Shepard paused to stare into the asari's eyes. Either she was a very good actress, or she was truly caught off guard by the Commander's questioning. After pausing, the blue alien sighed, desperately searching the infiltrator's inquisitive eyes. "Please. Just get me out of here."

"We'll find some way to help you." Shepard reassured, her eyes and voice softening. Trap or not, the asari had found her soft spot for people in need. T'soni nodded in gratitude.

"There is a control in here that should deactivate this thing. You'll have to find some way past the barrier. That's the tricky part. The defenses cannot be shut off from the outside. I don't know how you'll get in here." The doctor's voice wasn't quite calm, but Shepard's reassurance had chased away the sense of panic in her voice.

The Commander motioned Garrus and Wrex over to the barrier and the three of them examined it for weaknesses.

"I don't see an immediate way in, Commander. The Protheans were thorough." The turian ran his claw against the fluttering blue wall.

"Rarrrr!" Wrex crashed his head plate against the barrier before shooting a few slugs from his weapon into it.

"Wrex! What the hell?" Shepard shook her head and raised her brow at the krogan.

"Nope. That's not it either. Well, it was worth a shot." The battlemaster laughed. Shepard turned back to the trapped asari.

"Don't worry, doctor. We'll look for another way in. We'll be back." The infiltrator unholstered her pistol and went to leave.

"Wait!" T'soni's voice caused the Commander to pause. She looked up into the worried eyes of the trapped asari. "Be careful. There's a krogan with the geth. They've been trying different ways to get past the barrier."

Shepard gave a grateful smirk and a curt nod.

"Thanks. We will."

The squad of three walked down a metal ramp, searching for a terminal or a hidden panel or anything to find a way around the seemingly impenetrable barrier. As they walked, Shepard's map blinked with static.

"Hold up." The infiltrator held up her hand. Her map flickered again across her HUD. "Get down!" Shepard dropped to the ground as a sniper's shot crashed into the wall behind where her head had been a split second before.

"On it, Commander!" Garrus whipped out his sniper rifle and fired three rounds before the gun overheated. Wrex and Shepard made their way down to the mining encampment and took cover as Garrus suppressed the geth.

The Commander peeked around a corner. Several geth fired on the turian's position, forcing him to relent. More were advancing and would overtake her and her krogan squadmate in a matter of seconds. Unless…

"Fire on the ion containment cells!" Shepard and Wrex let loose a barrage of bullets at the explosive canisters. Blue lightning erupted, coiling through the geth's systems and making them twitch in paralysis.

"Back into your hole!" Wrex roared as he and Shepard exploded from cover, firing into the helpless geth. Garrus was right behind them, unleashing the fury of his assault rifle. Shepard put her pistol underneath the last geth's abdomen armor and squeezed the trigger several times until the light of its head flickered out.

"Well that wasn't so bad. No krogan though." Shepard looked up at Wrex's hulking figure. "At least, no new krogan."

"Is it possible T'Soni is mistaken? Who knows how long she's been trapped in there. Maybe she's hallucinating." Garrus offered the conjecture.

"Time will tell. For now, fan out. See if you can find anything to help get us past that blue wall." Shepard kept her pistol up and ready to fire, but she made her way over to the small camp's living quarters.

There wasn't much of interest. Just a small bed and several datapads holding the published works of several scholars. Shepard didn't recognize the names. After sifting through a few items, the infiltrator came across Doctor T'Soni's personal OSD labeled "Prothean Research: Therum." Hoping the data might aid her in finding the conduit, the Commander stored the small disk in a compartment on her belt.

"Commander!" Garrus's voice called out. Shepard walked out of the encampment to her squad. Wrex and Garrus stood in front of a large mining laser aimed at the ground below the trapped asari's location.

"If you can't hack it, blast it." Shepard mused.

"You don't have enough explosions in your life, Shepard. It's unhealthy." Wrex grunted as he adjusted his shotgun.

"Well, let's fix that." The infiltrator typed a few keys into the laser's command panel, hacking past the security and setting it to fire on 'high impact.'

ZZZZZTTTTT BOOOOOM!

The mining laser blasted into the floor, carving out a path under T'Soni's position.

"That's more like it!" Wrex's body rumbled as he laughed.

"Just lead the way, Shepard." Garrus pointed to the smoking crater with his rifle.

The crater led to an elevator shaft. The infiltrator entered in a series of commands and the elevator lurched up, coming to a stop behind the doctor.

Shepard and her squad approached the trapped asari. Without the blue barrier in the way, the infiltrator could get a better view of Dr. T'Soni.

The asari had fair blue skin that ran underneath a snug green and white scientist uniform. While the clothing was designed to protect against minor environmental conditions while the wearer was in the field, it was also designed to leave no loose flaps or wrinkles, meaning it hugged against every curve of T'Soni's lithe and toned body. Had Shepard met the asari in a bar instead of a Prothean barrier trap, the Commander definitely would have approached and offered to buy her a drink.

"How… how did you get in here? I didn't think there was any way past the barrier!" T'Soni's voice snapped Shepard back to the present. The Commander walked to the front of the floating bubble so she could talk to the asari face to face. The doctor's large blue eyes stared in curiosity at the armored human before her.

"We blasted through with the mining laser." Shepard explained as she shrugged.

"Of course yes that makes sense. Please get me out of here. That button over there should shut down the containment field." The doctor once again pleaded, obviously desperate to be free of the Prothean's trap. Garrus walked over to the terminal and hit the button T'Soni had pointed to.

"Oof!" The asari dropped hard to the floor, her legs gave out, at the force of the fall. Shepard rushed forward and caught her before the woman crashed face first into the floor. The asari's arms went up instinctively to grasp Shepard's shoulders as the human held Liara's waist to keep her steady.

"Are you okay?" Shepard's eyes went to the asari's legs to look for any obvious wounds.

"Yes. Thank you." Liara looked up into the human's icy blue eyes. Even with Shepard's helmet on, their noses were mere inches apart. Despite the layer of dust and dirt, Shepard noted the flush of the asari's cheeks that spread across her freckles and down her neck as she averted her eyes from the Commander's. "I had not anticipated such a loss of energy from my time entrapped within the Prothean barrier."

Shepard pulled a ration bar from a compartment on her belt. It was specifically designed to reenergize biotics.

"Eat this. It'll help you get your strength back." The infiltrator handed the bar to the asari.

"I… Thank you." Their hands met as Liara took the bar.

"If you two love birds are done, we have some geth to kill." Wrex let out an amused grunt. Shepard cleared her throat as the asari's blush deepened. Making sure she could stand on her own, the Commander released Liara's waist.

"Yes. Thank you, Wrex." Shepard pulled out her assault rifle, fine-tuning the adjustments. "Everyone ready to roll?"

Garrus and Wrex both gave an "Aye, Commander." Shepard looked back to the asari. She quickly finished the ration bar and approached the squad.

"Wrex, give her your pistol." Shepard ordered.

"Why does she need _my_ pistol?" The krogan shifted in his armor.

"When do you ever use your pistol?" Shepard sighed.

"Hmm. Fair point. But if you ever tell me to give up my shotgun, I'll leave your crew." Wrex handed the doctor his standard-issue pistol. Wrex only used his shotgun or assault rifle, so he never bothered with any special modifications to the Stinger model of handgun.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Wrex." Shepard quipped and turned to Liara. "Can you handle that?"

"I'll do what I can, though I'm much better with my biotics." The doctor shyly admitted.

"Understood. Just try to keep up, stay safe, and let us take care of the geth." Shepard ordered. Liara nodded.

"Any idea how we get out of this place?" Garrus finally spoke up, keeping quiet through the exchange.

"There is an elevator back in the center of the tower. At least I think it's an elevator. It should take us out of here. Come on." Liara walked past the squad of three, motioning them to follow. Wrex and Garrus looked to Shepard. The Commander gave a nod and they followed Liara back to the platform they rode up on. The asari typed in a series of commands and the four of them began moving upwards.

"I… I still cannot believe all this. Why would the geth come after me? Do you think Benezia's involved?" Liara nervously fidgeted with her fingers. Shy, hurt eyes looked up at Shepard for some sort of answer. Shepard didn't know. The Commander could only offer a small smirk of comfort. She had always been close to her family before they died. She couldn't imagine a mother sending murderous AIs to collect her daughter. It was still possible T'Soni wasn't as innocent in all of this as she claimed to be, but if that were the case, the asari was not only an incredible actress, but was also taking her sweet time to spring a trap.

"Saren's looking for the Conduit. You're a Prothean expert. Obviously he wants you to help him find it." Garrus explained matter-of-fact. He didn't mention Benezia's direct involvement, but the implication was there. Liara's look of concern disappeared, replaced by a thoughtful one.

"The Conduit? But I don't know-"

Before the doctor could finish an explanation, the rock around the squad began to rumble, causing all of them to look up in a panic, trying to figure out what was happening.

"What the hell was that?" Wrex grunted, his shotgun searching for a target amongst the rock as the crew continued to ascend.

"These ruins are not stable. That mining laser must have triggered a seismic event." Liara said in the calmest tone she could muster, but her eyes were wide and her body twitched. "We have to hurry. The whole place is caving in." The asari walked back to the elevator terminal, trying to rush the ascension. Unwilling to waste any time or her people's lives, Shepard hailed Joker on the radio.

"Joker! Get the Normandy airborne and lock on my signal. Double time it, Lieutenant!" The Commander's voice was stern, but Alliance training had taught her to keep panic from her voice long ago.

"Aye, Aye, Commander. Secure and away. ETA eight minutes." His response came almost instantaneously.

"If I die in here, I'll kill him." Wrex growled, annoyance making the krogan's blood pound.

"Weapons up and out. I want a quick exit." Shepard unsheathed her assault rifle, ready to mow through any lingering geth. The rest of the short ride up was silent as everyone readied themselves.

As soon as the elevator gave its final lurch to land at the top level, Shepard spotted a large Krogan and a squad of geth waiting for them. The infiltrator gave her companions the signal to hold. The hulking brute hadn't fired yet, but the Commander and her team had their fingers on the triggers of their guns.

"Surrender! Or don't. That would be more fun." A deep crackling voice boomed from the krogan's throat. Shepard saw her rescued asari give a small shudder. This must've been the krogan Liara was worried about.

"There a reason you're in my way?" The Commander growled, matching the krogan's bravado with a warning tone. The alien was enormous, and the geth wasted no time in surrounding the small squad, but Shepard wouldn't give into intimidation.

"The same reason you're here: The asari." The yellow skin at the side of his brutish frog-like mouth curled up in amusement. "Thanks for getting rid of those energy fields for us. Hand the doctor over."

"Whatever it is you want, you're not getting it from me." Liara's tone was harsh and sure, but she shuddered at Shepard's side. The asari's pistol was aimed at the large, heavily armored krogan, but her grip shook.

"She's staying with us." The Commander squeezed the slack from her trigger, eyeing a few spots of cover, ready for what was to come next.

"Not an option. Saren wants her." The krogan leered down at Liara, narrowing his beady eyes and outstretching his arm. "And he always gets what he wants."

"FIRE!" Shepard let loose with her weapon, spraying bullets at the krogan. Wrex and Garrus had anticipated Shepard's move. Not a split second was between her order and their fire. The Commander rolled to Liara, grabbing her arm and pulling her into cover behind a mechanical pillar of the elevator. Shepard peeked out from behind the steel beam. Wrex and Garrus had both moved to cover in the split burst of confusion. The large krogan let out a roar.

"Kill them! Spare the asari if you can. If not, doesn't matter." He shrugged at his last statement, apathetic to his target's fate.

"Bastard." The infiltrator switched to her sniper rifle and looked down at Liara. "Keep your barrier up and stay safe. We'll get through this." Shepard popped her scope out of cover and dropped the first geth.

"But Commander, I-" Liara began to protest.

"Stay safe!" Shepard called back as she rolled out of cover, making her way to Wrex's position.

"Damn idiot is a battlemaster. Shot a carnage at one of those rocket troopers, and the bastard warped away my barrier." Wrex yelled over the blasts of his shotgun.

"You hurt?" Shepard fired her rifle after overloading a geth shield, darkening another flashlight.

"A few bullets grazed me." Wrex held up his arm as Shepard pulled up the medi-gel. "Don't bother, Shepard. Two more pings on my armor and I'll have a nice blood rage going."

"Think you can handle big dumb and ugly if Garrus and I keep the geth off you?" Shepard fired at a geth, but a barrier went up to protect it, causing her to miss.

"Think bird brain can handle the light lifting while I take care of the heavy?" Wrex biotically threw a sniper across the elevator chasm, it's head exploded in sparks.

"I heard that, you know." The turian's voice rang over the com channel.

"Good. Keep 'em off me! RAAARRRR!" The scarred krogan burst from cover, charging at the battlemaster that had turned his attention to Garrus. Shepard activated Wrex's shield boost remotely and put a bead on the next geth's head. She heard the zip of Garrus's sniper ring across the room alongside hers as they dropped several more of the AIs. But still more flooded the room.

BOOOOOM! BOOOOM!

"Aaargh!" Garrus's scream rang over the radio. Shepard looked over to see the turian sprinting from his cover, overrun with rocket troopers.

"Garrus!" The Commander cursed herself for not covering him more closely.

"Commander, look out!" Liara's high voice yelled over the com. Shepard barely had time to look up before instinctively dodging a giant mass hurling towards her. She rolled away. The enemy battlemaster crashed into her cover, destroying the steel frame. Before the raging krogan could come in for another attack against Shepard, Wrex charged him, tackling him out of the way.

"Help the turian!" Wrex yelled as he punched the other krogan in the hump. A white aura engulfed the scarred krogan's body, indicating he had activated his armor's immunity function.

Shepard turned back, seeing her turian squadmate being rushed by rocket troopers. It was all he could do to dive from cover to cover before the ground exploded under his feet. Shepard brought up her scope, trying to find a target, but the angle was off. The elevator broke the line of sight.

"Dammit!" The Commander screamed in frustration, pulling her shotgun and sprinting after the C-Sec officer. The N7's conditioned feet carried her to the flank of the geth in mere seconds. She began blasting away at the AIs with heightened ferocity, bringing down three of the rocket troopers in a little over a second. But her weapon overheated at the overuse. She tried to use a sabotage program, but a red laser pinged her armor. All of her weapons and powers overloaded.

Garrus turned to try and hammer the AIs between the two of them in an attempt to help Shepard once the geth realized what was happening, but there were too many. A rocket blasted into the ground beside the turian, throwing him several feet and into the back wall. His vitals dropped, but stabilized. He was unconscious. The geth then turned on Shepard, aiming their large rockets at her.

BOOOOOM!

Shepard heard the explosion and felt the rumble through the ground, but otherwise she was fine. She looked up to see a fading red barrier separating her and would-be killers. A flicker of blue to her left caught the Commander's eye. Doctor T'Soni's body was lit up in biotic energy. She punched through the air, causing a ripple around the geth before they flew up and circled in singularity. Shepard's weapons and powers cooled down, and the N7 wasted no time putting her shotgun to the geth's heads and blowing them to spare parts. The Commander flew over to Garrus's position, pulling up her omni-tool and sending a wave of medi-gel through the turian's armor. He awoke with a gasp.

"Not a good time to nap, Vakarian. We have a battle to win." Shepard helped the C-Sec officer to his feet but pulled him into the nearest cover when sniper fire slammed into her shields.

"Commander!" Liara's voice caused Shepard to peer out. The snipers were also firing on T'Soni's position, aware that she was a threat. Geth with shotguns were closing in on her. The infiltrator flipped her sniper up, dropping one of the encroaching AIs.

"Shepard, I'll-"

"Stay here and cover me." The N7 finished Garrus's sentence. "And the doctor. You're not well enough to get in the thick of it." The turian popped up from cover and downed another geth with an overload and sniper shot.

"I have your six." He nodded to Shepard. The Commander activated a shield boost and overkill on her assault rifle before sprinting to the asari's position.

As the first geth rounded the corner to T'Soni's cover, Shepard bounded into the murderous machine, holding the trigger down as the muzzle of her rifle slammed into its circuits. The first AI fell to the floor as another appeared to take its place. The overkill boost had run out, but the Commander aimed her rifle at the geth's knee joint, firing until the rifle overloaded and the machine's leg spit sparks. A shotgun blast hit the N7 point blank, taking down her shields and piercing into her armor. Shepard felt the burn of plasma before it fizzled out. Taking advantage of her enemy's proximity, she crushed her boot onto the sparking joint, smashing out the machine's leg. The geth stumbled and let out a mechanical screech before Shepard put her pistol to the back of its head and fired. With more geth coming at her position and her shields needing to recharge, the Commander dove into cover with the asari.

"Are you hit?" Shepard asked hurriedly as she readied an application of medigel in her omnitool.

"Nothing major. Just some splash damage from some stray shrapnel." Liara tried to reassure the human, but Shepard reached over and pressed her medigel applicator to a raw, cut, bleeding blue calf muscle. Before the asari could insist the Commander save the medigel for more serious injuries, the foam was already settling into the wound, flash-healing the doctor.

"Thank you." Liara breathed as the sting faded and the blood stopped. She looked over. A large scowl was visible under the Commander's helmet. The human had the omnitool pressed to her own stomach where her armor was punctured.

"Stay down. You don't have armor and I don't want you risking your life." Shepard gave a quick response. The asari opened her mouth but Garrus's voice cut her off.

"Shepard, one o'clock and closing!"

"Can you cover?" The infiltrator pulled her shotgun out and let out a breath when she heard the humming of her regenerating shields.

"Negative! Wrex is in the open! He's dead if I don't keep the geth off of him!" The turian's voice was laced with panic.

"Understood! Prioritize your targets! I've got this!" The infiltrator burst from cover, unleashing an overload and sabotage on two geth to lower their shields before pumping them full of plasma with two quick sprays from her shotgun. She turned to the third and fourth but a red laser hit her weapon, immediately dampening all of her tactical options and weapon sinks. The geth that zapped her aimed its weapon at her head.

"Get down!" The asari's voice caused Shepard to drop to the floor.

Zing! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!

The hulk of AI crashed to the ground by Shepard, its lightless body sporting two large bullet holes where the doctor's shots had hit. The hum of a warp field encased its metal frame.

The Commander looked up to see T'Soni holding a smoking pistol. Before thought could enter Shepard's mind, the lights of a geth appeared behind the asari's form.

"NOOO!" The infiltrator shot up, lunging at Liara and tackling her away as bullets pierced through the air where they just were. The Commander and doctor landed hard on the floor. Before the AI could shoot the exposed asari, Shepard rolled on top of her, letting the shots punch into the back of hardened shields and armor. Shepard summoned what energy she could, feeling the static of biotics pulse through her. Focusing on the point where she knew the machine would be, the Commander turned, thrusting her arm at the geth. A pulse of biotic energy shot from her hand, slamming the AI against a steel frame and crushing it.

Shepard let out a large sigh, the energy from her biotics swimming through her head as her amp reset. She looked down at the asari still underneath the majority of her body. Wide deep blue eyes stared up.

"Are you hurt?" Shepard's eyes roamed down the body beneath hers, looking for obvious wounds. The asari shook her head. The infiltrator sighed in relief before giving a small smirk. "Good warp." The Commander pushed herself up, rushing back into battle to help her squad.

She ran to the nearest cover, pulling her sniper rifle and shooting at the remaining geth. The machines' numbers were quickly dwindling, but Wrex's health indicator was dropping too. The cavern let out a rumble and the ground beneath Shepard's feet growled with strain. She rolled before the floor beneath her cracked and fell down into the mining depths below.

"Shit." The Commander cursed. There were still too many enemies and they were running out of time. Shepard activated the Assassination ability on her sniper, lining up the scope with the biggest geth's head. She squeezed the trigger, but another shake from the ground caused her barrel to shoot high, hitting the top of the cavern above the geth. Before she could swear in frustration, the rock gave out, falling onto the geth below and crushing the artificial life out of them.

"Garrus!"

"I saw! Retargeting!" The turian let loose several shots into the rock ceiling. Shepard did the same. Within seconds, rocks rained down on the unsuspecting get snipers, crushing what was left of the geth squadron.

"Nice work, Garrus. Time to take down the-"

"Aaaarrgghh!" Wrex's body went flying into the air from the center of the circular room, smashing hard into the far wall. Rubble crashed down on him, burying him in the stone of the Prothean ruin.

"Wrex!" Shepard called out. Through the dust and rocks, there was no sign of the scarred krogan. The Commander looked at her HUD. Wrex was still alive but his vitals were down; he was unconscious.

In infiltrator pulled up her omnitool, making a move to revive her comrade.

Zhoop!

Shepard felt something hit her hard in the ribs and then she was thrown through the air. The purple punch of energy sent her sprawling on her back, the force slamming through her body. Shepard felt dizzy. Her bones ached and she tasted blood in her mouth, but she rolled away as the large hulk of battlemaster charged her position. She forced herself to her feet and brought her assault rifle up. Garrus's sniper shots crashed into the krogan's shields, causing the blue to flicker and die. The infiltrator followed up, unloading a spray from her rifle onto the massive alien. His body began to glow purple as the air sparked around him.

"Not this time." With a flick of her omnitool, Shepard sent a dampening field across the battlemaster, causing his biotics to fizzle out. Garrus wasted no time shooting the brute twice more. Red the color of blood filled the krogan's eyes as it seeped from his mouth and cracks in his armor. The Commander continued to release short controlled bursts at her opponent, but her HUD indicated the massive krogan had activated an immunity function and was regenerating. It wasn't long before he was forcing Shepard into cover from the spray of his own shotgun. Fueled by rage, the krogan pursued the infiltrator relentlessly. Garrus's sabotage and sniper cover was the only thing keeping Shepard alive long enough to dive around the battlefield, but the enemy would not relent nor go down.

When the enraged krogan crashed into Shepard's cover, The Commander thought it was over until a blue aura crackled into the alien's armor. He let out a scream as more blood oozed from his wounds. Before Shepard could react, the battlemaster was charging at Liara.

Three cracks from Garrus's rifle allowed the infiltrator to catch up to the alien before it was too late. Shepard slid between the krogan's massive legs, turning, and positioning herself between her opponent and the doctor.

"I'm not done with you!" Shepard yelled as she fired at him, causing him to raise a massive arm in defense. Shepard and Garrus were driving the brute back between their combined fire, but the Commander got in too close. By the time she had recognized it, the battlemaster had lifted her by the arm into the air. Her armor creaked at the pressure of the massive hand wrapped around her forearm. Corra's eyes filled with water as she felt the pinch. He lifted his other massive arm high in the air. Thinking fast, Shepard grabbed her pistol, pointing it at the krogan's head and firing. He howled in agony and threw the human like a small rag doll.

The Commander slammed hard into the ground by the ruble that had fallen on Wrex. Coughing up blood, she quickly activated the last shots of medigel for all of her squad, hoping the signal would go through to Wrex's armor through the rock.

She felt the soothing effects in her own arm and body just in time to hear a scream and feel the rumble of the ground as the krogan charged at her again.

Shots from Garrus's sniper slammed into the battlemaster, but he kept coming. Shepard was still too shell shocked to make it to her feet and he was too close even if she could. The Commander focused her mind as she felt the crackle of biotics surrounding her body. The energy burned through the air and caused her head to swirl, but she was ready. At the last second, a hard biotic throw came from T'Soni's direction, hammering into the krogan at the same time as Garrus's fire. He stumbled. Shepard let loose the most powerful biotic kick her amp would allow, crashing into the krogan and throwing him across the room. The infiltrator's head spun from the biotics, but she pushed herself.

The aggressive krogan wasn't moving and Shepard sighed with relief. Garrus came out of his cover, giving a quick nod to Shepard. He went over to the rubble where Wrex had still not emerged. The Commander looked over to Liara. The asari was sitting on the floor panting for air, but seemed otherwise unharmed. Shepard joined Garrus in removing rubble from around their squadmate. The cavern rumbled around them.

"We need to get him and get the hell out of here." The turian's mandibles twitched as he rolled away a large rock.

"Come on, Wrex. I thought your ugly hump could take this. It's time to go!" Shepard grunted, digging through the dust and pushing away rocks as the ground shook violently under her.

"RAAAARRRR!" The roar caused Shepard and Garrus to look back. The battlemaster was back on his feet and charging at them. But before either the turian or human could bring their rifles to bear, the rubble exploded from beneath them. Wrex charged out to meet his enemy.

Cracking purple surrounded Wrex's fist and before the opposite krogan could defend with his own biotics, Wrex's fist had punched through his face, completely pulverizing the bones and instantly killing him in a show of krogan bloodrage. The human and turian stood wide jawed, staring at their krogan companion.

"What? He smashed my shotgun." Wrex grunted as he wiped the blood from his mouth. "You owe me a new one, Shepard!" The krogan pointed at the Commander.

The rumble of the ruin nearly shook them all off their feet. With the daze of battle broken, Shepard ran to Liara and motioned her squad to the exit.

The elevator cavern had been somewhat protected from the seismic activity, but past the barrier, the rest of the place was caving in fast. Rocks and dust fell everywhere, trying to bury the four in an early tomb. Shepard darted along the ramps, seeing the mining shaft where they had originally entered. She could feel and hear the clatter of her squad right behind her, but she paused to make sure everyone would get out. Wrex and Garrus passed her as she screamed at them to move, but Liara was falling behind. Icy blue eyes went wide as molten metal, rock and noxious gas rained down around them, crushing everything it hit. The Commander sprinted back for the asari, grabbing the doctor by the arm and pulling her as fast as the human could move. The turian and krogan disappeared into the daylight ahead, dust and gas rising to blot it out, but Shepard knew it was still ahead. With a final push through the last of the tunnel, the human and asari leapt into sunlight. They rolled down the ramp as the mine collapsed milliseconds behind them, spewing out rubble and dust that clawed at them as they escaped.

They landed hard, flat on their backs on Therum's dirt. It was uncomfortably dry and hot, but Shepard was grateful for the sky above and the taste of fresh air. When the Commander could breathe again she looked over at the asari by her side.

"Are you alright?" Shepard asked, brushing a thick layer of dust and small rocks from the asari's brow. Liara could only nod through her coughs and heavy breathing. The human looked back at the smoking mine entrance, raising an eyebrow and letting out a sigh. "Let's not do that again anytime soon."

"Commander." Garrus and Wrex appeared above them, offering their hands. Shepard gladly took Garrus's, using the turian's weight to help her to her feet. Wrex basically lifted the asari up when she took his large armored hand.

"That was one hell of an explosion, Shepard. Good mission. I look forward to the next." The krogan laughed, lightly nudging the infiltrator's shoulder.

"Well, at least he's happy. Joker's radioing, asking if you need an emergency medical team. You two wounded?" The turian asked. Shepard shook her head and looked up at the Normandy.

"No, just a trip to decontamination, the med bay, and the shower." Corra gave her squad a small smirk. The ground rumbled beneath them again and the entrance to the mines spewed more noxious gas. "Getting on the ship first would be wise. Let's go."

The four made their way into the airlock and stood in the decontamination chamber. Cool blue mist filled the room and Shepard inhaled deeply, never quite growing used to the sterilized scent of it, but enjoying that it marked the end of a mission. She popped off her helmet as the vapor jets clicked on, letting out a sigh of relief when the coolness of it caressed her hot cheeks and forehead. Dust and rock poured off of the four as they each stood under a sprayer.

Liara required the least amount of time, as she wore no armor. The doctor stood and waited quietly as the others turned up the antibacterial jets of water and let the decontamination VI spray away the evidence that they were ever on Therum, never taking her curious deep blue eyes off of the Commander. Once or twice the human had looked over at the asari, smirked and apologized for the wait.

"Decontamination Complete." The VI recited in a mechanical female human voice, not unlike the Commander's.

Shepard looked up and frowned at the unlatching of the inner decontamination bulkhead. Before the security team she had expected she would need could come through the door and surround the asari, the infiltrator approached them. She positioned herself in between the team and Liara, casually putting up a hand.

"Thank you for your quick response, but your services are no longer needed." The Commander quickly explained before any entered the room. Doctor T'Soni had more than proven that she had no loyalties to Saren or Benezia. Liara had saved Shepard a few times during the last battle, even putting her own life at risk to help the squad; there was no reason to detain her.

"But Commander, don't-" Ashley was at the head of the security team and had began to speak, but Shepard shook her head, cutting her off.

"No, Williams. There's absolutely no need for the extra security." Shepard gave the marine a knowing look. Ashley raised her eyebrows for a second in confusion before giving a nod.

"Yes, Commander. Returning to the briefing room." The security squad left. Shepard turned back to Liara.

"My crew could use a debriefing. Would you please join me?" The Commander gave the asari a smile that caused her to blush.

"Of course, Commander." Liara answered, following the human through her ship. Many of the human crew gave her odd stares, eyeing her up and down as she walked.

"Don't take it personally, asari. Humans are jumpy little aliens." Wrex grunted softly at Liara's ear. She gave the massive krogan a small smile and nod, but felt relieved when they finally entered the conference room.

The human Commander's crew seemed quite diverse. There was the krogan and turian that had accompanied her on Therum, but there was also a quarian present in addition to two more humans.

Shepard motioned Liara towards a seat next to the krogan, Wrex, and she gladly took it, giving her tired feet a reprieve. The Commander opened her mouth to speak as she stood in the center of the room, but a voice on the intercom stopped her.

"Too close, commander. Ten more seconds and we would've been swimming in molten sulphur. The Normandy isn't equipped to land in exploding volcanoes. They tend to fry our sensors and melt our hull. Just for future reference." Joker sarcastically explained.

"We almost died out there and your pilot is making jokes?" Liara looked appalled. Shepard noticed her hands were still shaking from the adrenaline that must've been coursing through her veins.

"It's a coping mechanism. You'll get used to it" Shepard smiled sympathetically.

"I see. It must be a human thing. I don't have a lot of experience dealing with your species, Commander. But I am grateful. You saved my life back there and not just from the volcano. Those geth would've killed me or dragged me off to Saren." Liara shivered at the thought.

"What did Saren want with you? Do you know anything about the Conduit?" Kaidan questioned.

"Only that it was somehow connected to the Prothean extinction. That is my real area of expertise. I have spent the past fifty years trying to figure out what happened to them." Liara perked up at the chance to talk about Protheans. The aftershock from the battle seemed to melt away at least temporarily.

"Just how old are you exactly?" Shepard blinked, thinking that the asari looked to be in her early twenties by human standards.

"I hate to admit it but I am only 106." The asari blushed, staring at the floor.

"Damn! I hope I look that good when I'm your age" Ashley exclaimed in amusement.

"A century may seem like a long time to a short-lived species, but among the Asari I am barely considered more than a child. That is why my research has not received the attention it deserves. Because of my youth, other asari scholars tend to dismiss my theories on what happened to the Protheans." Liara explained.

Death. Fire. Screaming. The images of the beacon swam through Shepard's head.

"I've got my own theory on why the Protheans disappeared…" Shepard whispered in a somber tone.

"With all due respect, Commander, I have heard every theory out there." Liara's voice snapped Shepard out of her dark thoughts. The asari had misinterpreted her tone. "The problem is finding evidence to support them. The Protheans left remarkably little behind. It is almost as if someone did not want the mystery solved. It is like someone came along after the Protheans were gone and cleansed the galaxy of clues. But here is the incredible part. According to my findings, the Protheans were not the first galactic civilization to mysteriously vanish. This cycle began long before them."

"What cycle? What're you talking about?" Shepard asked, trying to chase away the swarming visions of fire from her mind.

"The galaxy is built on a cycle of extinction. Each time a great civilization rises up, it is suddenly and violently cast down. Only ruins survive. The Protheans rose up from a single word until their empire spanned the entire galaxy yet even they climbed to the top on the remains of those who came before. Their greatest achievements, the Mass Relays, and the Citadel are based on the technologies of those that came before them. And then, like all the other forgotten civilizations throughout galactic history, the Protheans disappeared. I have dedicated my life to figuring out why." Liara explained.

"They were wiped out by a race of sentient machines. The Reapers." Shepard grimaced. The sight of Protheans screaming out in anguish as they burned replayed in her mind. This was a cycle?

"The—The Reapers? But I have never heard of—How do you know this? What evidence do you have?" Liara asked, voice laced with excitement.

"There was a damaged Prothean beacon on Eden Prime. It burned a vision into my brain. I'm still trying to sort out what it all means." Shepard looked up, hoping the Prothean expert might have some insight.

"Visions? Yes, that makes sense! The beacons were designed to transmit information directly into the mind of the user. Finding one that still works is extremely rare. No wonder the geth attacked Eden Prime! The chance to acquire a working beacon, even a badly damaged one, is worth almost any risk." The asari ranted. Shepard allowed her to continue, amused at her level of enthusiasm. "But the beacons were only programmed to interact with Prothean physiology. Whatever information you received, would have been confused, unclear. I am amazed that you were able to make sense of it at all. A lesser mind would've been utterly destroyed by the process. You must be remarkably strong willed Commander." Liara's eyes lit up in wonder. Shepard couldn't help but smile at her.

"This isn't helping us find Saren or the Conduit." Kaidan huffed.

"Of course. You are right. I am sorry. My scientific curiosity got the better of me. Unfortunately I do not have any information that could help you find the Conduit. Or Saren." Liara apologized solemnly.

The group seemed to let out a collective sigh of disappointment. Shepard frowned. They were no closer than before they went to Therum.

"I am sorry, Commander." Liara once again apologized. She held her elbow and stared at the ground. Shepard stared at her for a full minute, thinking.

"I don't know why Saren wanted you out of the picture, but I think we'll be a lot better off if we bring you along." Shepard announced. Saren had been after the asari for some reason. Whatever it was, Shepard wasn't about to let Liara fall into Saren's talons.

"Thank you Commander." Liara rose to her feet and walked over to Shepard, expressing her gratitude once again that day. "Saren might come after me again. I cannot think of anywhere safer than here on your ship. And my knowledge of the Protheans might be useful later on." The asari smiled at Shepard.

"And her biotics will come in handy when the fighting starts. I saw her save your ass a couple of times on Therum. And, having her on board will piss Saren off." Wrex added, showing a row of razor teeth as he grinned. Garrus sat next to him, nodding at the krogan's reasoning.

"Agreed." Shepard turned back to Liara, giving her a warm smile. "Good to have you on the team, Liara."

"Thank you Commander I am very gratef-" Liara nearly lost consciousness, stumbling forward. Shepard instinctively stepped forward and caught the doctor the second time that day.

"Liara? Are you okay?" Shepard asked, supporting the asari's weight and blushing when the Commander realized her hands were Liara's curved hips. Liara didn't seem to notice.

"Whoa. I'm afraid I am feeling a bit light headed." The asari put her gloved hand up to her forehead, using Shepard's shoulder to regain her balance. Once she felt stable enough, Shepard let go, ready to catch her again just in case.

"When was the last time you ate? Or slept? Dr. Chakwas should take a look at you." Kaidan advised.

"It is probably just mental exhaustion coupled with the shock of discovering the Protheans' true fate. I need some time to process all this. Still, it could not hurt to be examined by a medical professional. It will give me the chance to think things over. Are we finished here, Commander?"

"Yes. Alenko, Williams, make sure Dr. T'Soni gets down to the medbay okay." Shepard ordered.

"That's not necessary, Commander. I don't want to inconvenience your crew. I just need some directions and I ca-" Liara stumbled again but Shepard was prepared and caught her.

"It'll be more of an inconvenience if you faint and no one is there to catch you. Dr. Chakwas isn't a fan of setting broken bones. Get down to the medbay. We can talk again after you've seen the doctor and I've reported to the Council. The rest of you, dismissed." Ashley and Kaidan each supported one of Liara's arms and briskly made their way to the exit. Shepard had an urge to accompany them, but shoved the irrational feeling down; the asari would be fine.

"Don't get your quad in a rut. I'll head down with them." Wrex chuckled in a low voice, brushing against Shepard's side.

"Huh?" Shepard blinked up at him.

"If I had some curvy doe-eyed asari falling into my muscled body every time she thanked me for rescuing her, I'd probably be a love-struck idiot too. Don't worry. I'll go with them and make sure she gets to the medbay okay. The support of my pinky bone could keep an asari from falling over." Wrex chuckled and started walking away before Shepard could register his words.

"Wait? What? I'm not a love-struck idiot. Wrex, what are you-?" Shepard stuttered out. The krogan's deep laugh only got louder as he retreated through the doors. "Crazy krogan…" Shepard shook her head.

"Mission reports are filed, Commander. You want me to patch you through to the Council?" Joker's voice rang out over the com.

"Patch them through, Joker…"


End file.
